Mediaboss Marketing

Turkey and Ethiopia are determined to wipe out the tumor" of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FET), President Recep Tayyip Erdoan said Tuesday.

Ethiopia is our friend who sees the criminal face of FET, which poses a great threat to humanity," Erdoan said, referring to the group Ankara holds responsible for last July's coup attempt in Turkey, which left 248 people martyred. In this regard, we are taking steps within the alliance.

I would like to express this point in particular. After the July 15 coup attempt, Ethiopia was one of the first countries to explain its support and solidarity to us."

Speaking at a news conference in Ankara with Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome, Erdogan underlined Turkey's strategic partnership with the east African state, particularly in the economic sphere.

Hopefully, we will begin negotiations on preferential trade agreements very soon in line with this objective," he said.

Georgian Ministry of Education has canceled Saturday the license of the school that is known to be linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FET) in Batumi. Sahin Primary and High Schools' license was cancelled due to some serious deficiencies such as student enrollment system, officials from the country's Education Ministry told Anadolu Agency, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking with the media. The officials said the formal decision on the cancellation of the school's license would be issued within 10 working days.According to Georgian law, when a school's license is canceled, educational procedures are suspended from the day the decision is formally issued.By the decision of the Ministry, the students will be transferred to various educational institutions.It is known that there were seven FET linked schools in Georgia, as the Georgian Education Quality Improvement Center did not renew the licence of one of those schools located in capital Tbilisi at the beginning of the 2016-2017 academic year.According to Turkey's government, FET leader Fetullah Gulen -- a resident of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania -- masterminded the July 15 defeated coup, which left at least 248 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.Ankara has also said FET is behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary. The terrorist group is also known for its network of hundreds of schools around the world.So far, over 80 FET organizations operating abroad, including schools and training centers, have been shut down or transferred to the Turkish government.

Teshome congratulated Turkey for the courage and determination shown in defending democracy on July 15. He pledged to transfer schools linked to FET to Turkey's Maarif Foundation.

Turkey's head of Presidency of Religious Affairs Mehmet Grmez has said that the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FET) headed by Fetullah Glen has nothing to do with providing free education to the children of poor families. "The terrorist organization's only target is that it's known to be used as tools to reach the children of the richest families of the country, provide them education and intervene in the politics and make them become a part of this systematic malignity," Grmez said. "The representatives of the global malignity focused on the Middle East and Balkans along with Europe to serve their dirty targets," Grmez said. "The terrorist organization has been conducting its activities in Africa, and the geography where the Soviet Union collapsed to take advantage of the situation there," he said.Pakistan requests help from Turkey against FET Turkish officials repeatedly warned countries of the threat of the FET formation in many countries, which may trigger possible coup bids there, similar to the recent coup attempt in Turkey. The FET is known to have 24 schools across Pakistan; six of them in Islamabad, five of them in Lahore, three of them in Karachi, three in Quetta, two in Peshawar, two in Multan, and one each in Haripur, Hyderabad and Amshoro.The 'FET Empire' in Kyrgyzstan Another country that FET has the largest number of schools in is Kyrgyzstan where the terrorist organization is known to have 23 schools. Also, another FET center is the African country Chad, which has dealt a blow to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization that attempted the coup in Turkey on July 15. A violent coup bid was witnessed on July 15, mostly in Turkey's cities, when the terrorist group headed by Fetullah Glen attempted to topple the democratically-elected government. Turkey's government says the deadly plot, which martyred at least 246 people and injured more than 2,100 others, was organized by followers of U.S.- based Fetullah Glen.

He heralded his meeting with Erdoan as fruitful and productive" and said they had exchanged views on wide range of issues.

We have recognized that additional effort is needed to further strengthen and deepen cooperation through economic interdependence by expanding trade and investments," he told reporters.

We discussed how to take new actions to further enhance Turkish investment in Ethiopia in much needed areas of infrastructure, manufacturing and energy."

Calling on Turkish investors to come forward, Teshome said he wanted Turkey to be the leading foreign investor in Ethiopia."

Both countries were leading the fight against terrorism, he added. We are partners in the struggle to fight terrorism, albeit in different regions," Teshome said.

Continued here:
Erdoan congratulates Ethiopia on tackling FET 'tumor' - Yeni afak English

Nilhan Osmanoglu, who claims to be a direct descendant of Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II and has pledged to vote yes in an upcoming Turkish referendum on adopting a presidential system of governance, is pictured in an undated photo.(photo bysultandan.com)

Author:Amberin Zaman Posted February 6, 2017

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes no secret of his yearning for the Ottoman Empire that was abolished by Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern republic, with the stroke of a pen. Critics say this nostalgia and Erdogans seeming unquenchable thirst for powerindicate he wants to become a latter-day sultan with all the positions glory and accoutrements.

His campaign to endow himself with constitutionally enshrined executive authority many call it one-man rule is being cheered on by a real Ottoman princess. But Nilhan Osmanoglus blessing has had unintended effects, signaling that it wont all be smoothsailing for Erdogan.

A referendum on the package containing theconstitutional amendmentthat is meant to clear Erdogans path to an executive presidency is due to be held in early April. But some recent opinion polls put the no votes, albeit narrowly, ahead of the yes.Thismay explain why Erdogan has yet to approve the package, which has been sitting on his desk for several days after being rammed through the parliament. There is speculation that he may tweak it in the hopes of winning more support.

At any rate, he already enjoys that of the princess. Osmanoglu, who claims to be a direct descendent of Ottoman SultanAbdulhamid II, declared that she would naturally vote yesin a planned referendum on Erdogans long coveted superpresidency.

In an impassioned speech during a conference devoted to her forebears, Osmanoglu railed against what she called the injustices inflicted by Turkeys current parliamentary system. It was, she asserted, to blame for the execution of former Prime Minister Adnan Menderesand the ill-treatment of female students who wear the Islamic-style headscarf that was oncebanned on university campuses. Weve had enough of the parliamentary system, the sultana huffed. Her comments unleashed a furor.

Ozgur Ozel, a member of parliament for the main opposition Republican Peoples Party, led the charge, reminding the princess that the empire had lost more territory under Abdulhamid II than under any of his predecessors. If it werent for Ataturk you would undoubtedly still be alive, but in which room of whichpalace, in what cage and as which wife of some pasha your grandfather orfather deemed you fit for? Just think about it, Ozel stormed.

Others observed that the 29-year-old has usedher imperial credentials to turn a profit with her line of Ottoman-style jewelry, home decorand shawls, alleagerly lapped up by a rising conservative elite enriched under 15 years of Justice and Development Party rule.

Their increasingly ostentatious lifestyle,mirrored by the 1,100-room Ottoman-style presidential complex that Erdogan built for himself in Ankara, has drawn sharp criticism amid allegations of massive government corruption that erupted in 2013 and were hastily quashed. Osmanoglus endorsement helped to revive the debate allowing the opposition to cast the referendum as a fight between secular constitutionalists and reactionary monarchists.

Much like Erdogan, Abdulhamid II, who reigned from 1876 until 1908, when he was deposed by the Young Turk revolutionaries, is a divisive figure, both great and harmful.As Ottoman historian Caroline Finkel notes in her compelling Osmans Dream, there are two competing views of Abdulhamids reign. His Kemalist denigrators see the last years of the empire as an obscurantist and somewhat shameful past from which their country was delivered by the leadership and vision of Ataturk. To his far-right and Islamist fans, however, Abdulhamid is a hero re-emphasizing the Islamic character of the Ottoman state and championing Muslims against other peoples of the empire.

But as Finkel points out,neither version is completely accurate. The sultan, like Erdogan, used Islam to unite his crumbling empire. Unlike Erdogan, he appreciated European music and enjoyed nothing more than having the detective adventures of Sherlock Holmes read to him before going to bed.

Osmanoglu may have inherited some of his paranoia. In a Feb. 5 statement, she declared that she was perfectly aware of the ugly plan and thesystematic attack to discredit me.

The commotion may have cost Erdogan more votes, but it will have surely attracted more attention to the princess products.

Read More: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/02/erdogan-ottoman-empire-sultan.html

Read more:
Ottoman princess stumps for Erdogan - Al-Monitor

This is the second in a series of articles based in part on eyewitness accounts about the rapidly deteriorating socio-political conditions in Turkey and what the future may hold for the country. The first article is available here.

Much has been written on the endemic corruption in Turkey which involves virtually every social strataincluding political, judicial, government administration, private sector, civil society, business, and militaryand which stands in total contrast to President Erdogans grandiose vision to make Turkey a significant player on the global stage. After fifteen years in power, Erdogan now presides over a state deeply entrenched in corruption, conspiracy theories, and intrigue. He uses every lever of power to cover up the pervasive corruption consuming the nation and overshadowing the remarkable socio-political progress and economic growth that he made during his first nine years in power.

To consolidate his reign, he intimidated his political opponents, emasculated the military, silenced the press, and enfeebled the judiciary; most recently, he pressed the parliament to amend the constitution to grant him essentially absolute powers.

Turkey ranks 75th in the world in transparency on Transparency Internationals Corruption Perceptions Indexfalling nine places since 2015along with Bulgaria, Kuwait, and Tunisia. More than 40% of Turkish households perceive public officials to be corrupt.

The economy: Given the pervasiveness of corruption, economic progress in Turkey has slowed down. In Erdogans initial years, the economy grew by 5-7 percent because he made it a priority while focusing on the poor and less educated, who subsequently became his core supporters.

When the global economy was strong Turkey registered significant economic growth, but the recent economic slowdown revealed the fault line in Turkeys economy. An inflated and corrupt bureaucracy made it extremely difficult to be granted licenses for development, making it ever harder for foreign and local investors to accelerate the process without bribing government officials.

During a corruption investigation in 2013, $17.5 million in cash was discovered in homes of various officials, including the director of state-owned Halkbank. Fifty-two people connected to the ruling AK Party were detainedin one day, but subsequently released due to lack of evidence.

Given this grim reality, as long as the government continues to deny the existence of pandemic corruption, Erdogans ambition to make Turkeys economy among the ten largest economies by 2023 (the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic) has become nothing but a pipe dream.

Suppressing the press: Erdogan has shown zero tolerance for criticism and has worked to stifle the press. Any media outlet that exposed corruption cases became an enemy of the state.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 81 journalists are currently imprisoned, all of whom have been charged with anti-state offenses, and over 100 news outlets have been ordered closed by the government. In total, between July 20 and December 31, 2016, 178 broadcasters, websites, and newspapers were shuttered.

Whereas in a democracy the media is considered central to keeping the government honest, in Turkey investigative journalism has become taboo as the Erdogan government is terrified of the potential exposure of corruption cases where government officials are directly involved.

The implications of this are far and wide as other countries, especially democracies, become suspicious of Turkeys positions. The lack of transparency severely erodes its credibility and international standing.

Political: Two-thirds of Turks in a survey revealed they perceive political parties to be corrupt. Turkey lacks an entity that monitors the financing of parties, which are required to submit their financial tables to the Constitutional Court, an institution ill-equipped to handle audits.

Additionally, according to the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation, Turkey does not have a specific regulatory process to eliminate possible conflicts of interest for parliamentarians who transition to the private sector after their terms are complete.

Commenting on former Prime Minister Davutoglus transparency package, Erdogan shamelessly stated that If it [requiring party officials to reveal wealth] goes on like this, you cant find anyone to chair even [the AKPs] provincial and district branches.

Several of Erdogans ministers (Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan, Interior Minister Muammer Guler, and Environment Minister Erdogan Bayraktar) resigned after their sons were arrested on allegations of bribery. Following their resignation, Erdogan proceeded to dismiss thousands of police officers, prosecutors, and judges and accused the Gulen movement of a coup attempt.

The arrest and indictment in US courts of Iranian-Turkish gold trader Reza Zarrab poses a significant threat to Erdogans authority, as top AK officials are wrapped up in the indictmentincluding some of Erdogans family members. Pro-government media quickly leveled accusations against the American prosecutor and judge involved in the case of being instruments of the Gulen movement.

The ramifications of the wide-spread political corruption also have major adverse impacts on Turkeys relations with foreign governments who interact with Ankara out of necessity rather than by free choiceparticularly the EUwhich makes Turkeys foreign relations tenuous and puts its long-term security at risk.

Judiciary: According to the 2013 Global Corruption Barometer, 13% of households reported having to pay a bribe after coming into contact with the judiciary, which has increased in the past three years. The flaws of the Turkish judiciary have undermined the acceptance of the ruling by all segments of Turkish society and tainted it with allegations of political score-settling.

An even-handed judiciary is necessary to have a healthy and sustainable democracy. But when it becomes corrupted, as it has in Turkey, it is not just the cases before a court that become compromisedthere is a ripple effect that occurs, impacting on behavior of officials engaged in criminal activity and who feel they can continue to act in such a manner with impunity.

Military: According to the EU Progress Report 2016, extensive legal protection is given to counter-terrorism personnel and the military and intelligence services continue to lack sufficient accountability in Parliament. The same report states that Access to audit reports by the Turkish Court of Accounts on the security, defense and intelligence agencies remains restricted.

Erdogan has replaced hundreds of generals, which led to a reduction in strategic planning and overall quality of military effectiveness. His purge of the military high brass three years ago on charges of conspiring to topple the government has eroded Turkeys position in NATO.

Similarly, the purge of the top echelon of the military following the July 2016 coup further weakened military preparedness, which raises serious questions about Turkeys military prowess and its effectiveness as a member of NATO.

Turkey defies the NATO charter that requires its members to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilization of their peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. By not adhering to these principles, Turkey risks being potentially expelled, especially now that Erdogan appears to be increasingly gravitating toward Moscow.

Civil society: The EU Progress Report 2016 notes: Participation by civil society in the budgetary process is poorand independent civil society organizations are rarely involved in law- and policy-making processes.

Corruption creates fear in societyindividuals who might otherwise wish to expose acts of corruption are now afraid to be implicated. According to Transparency Internationals Oya Ozarslan, Today you cant offer people neither a good nor a bad example because corruption trials have become impossible in Turkey. This in turn legitimates the notion that [the corrupt] get away with it anyway.

The AK Party pledged [to wage a] most intensive struggle [against corruption], and fully ensure transparency and accountability prevail in every area of public life [to prevent] the pollution of politics, but then Erdogan himself rejected any practical measures to tackle corruption, fearing damaging exposure.

Sadly, much of what Erdogan aspired for could have been realized had he continued the reforms he initiated and brought Turkey to the international status he desired without resorting to authoritarianism.

After 15 years in power, Erdogan provides a classic example of how power corrupts. It is time for the public and the opposition parties to demand that he leaves the political scene and allow the formation of a democratically-elected government to begin the process of stemming corruption.

Otherwise, Turkey will forfeit its huge potential of becoming a significant player on the international stage.

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.

Original post:
Turkey's President Erdogan: A Classic Case of How Power Corrupts - Center for Research on Globalization

New York Times

Angela Merkel, Meeting With Erdogan in Turkey, Emphasizes Free Speech New York Times ANKARA, Turkey Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany emphasized the importance of freedom of opinion in talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey on Thursday, during a visit meant to help improve frayed ties between the two NATO allies. Merkel Presses Erdogan on Freedom, DemocracyWall Street Journal Angela Merkel lectures Turkish President Erdogan on upholding freedomsThe Sydney Morning Herald Angela Merkel urges Turkey to ensure freedom of expression ahead of referendum giving President Erdogan greater ...Telegraph.co.uk Reuters -RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty all 127 news articles »

Read the rest here:
Angela Merkel, Meeting With Erdogan in Turkey, Emphasizes Free Speech - New York Times

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Much has been written on the endemic corruption in Turkey thatinvolves virtually every social stratum including political, judicial, government administration, private sector, civil society, business and militaryand thatstands in total contrast to President Erdogans grandiose vision to make Turkey a significant player on the global stage.

After 15years in power, Erdogan now presides over a state deeply entrenched in corruption, conspiracy theories and intrigue. He uses every lever of power to cover up the pervasive corruption consuming the nation and overshadowing the remarkable sociopolitical progress and economic growth that he made during his first nine years in power.

To consolidate his reign, he intimidated his political opponents, emasculated the military, silenced the press and enfeebled the judiciary; most recently, he pressed the parliament to amend the constitution to grant him essentially absolute powers.

February 3, 2017 2:29 pm

Turkey ranks 75th in the world in transparency on Transparency Internationals Corruption Perceptions Indexfalling nine places since 2015. More than 40% of Turkish households perceive public officials to be corrupt.

Given the pervasiveness of corruption, economic progress in Turkey has slowed down. In Erdogans initial years, the economy grew by 5-7% because he made it a priority while focusing on the poor and less educated, who subsequently became his core supporters.

When the global economy was strong, Turkey registered significant economic growth, but an inflated and corrupt bureaucracy made it extremely difficult to be granted licenses for development, making it ever harder for foreign and local investors to accelerate the process without bribing government officials.

During a corruption investigation in 2013, $17.5 million in cash was discovered in the homes of various officials, including the director of state-owned Halkbank. Fifty-two people connected to the ruling AK Party were detained in one day, but subsequently released due to lack of evidence.

Given this grim reality, as long as the government continues to deny the existence of pandemic corruption, Erdogans ambition to make Turkeys economy among the ten largest economies by 2023 (the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic) has become nothing but a pipe dream.

Erdogan has shown zero tolerance for criticism and has worked to stifle the press. Any media outlet that exposed corruption cases became an enemy of the state.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 81 members of the pressare currently imprisoned in Turkey, all of whom have been charged with anti-state offenses, and over 100 news outlets have been ordered closed by the government. In total, between July 20 and December 31, 2016, 178 broadcasters, websites and newspapers were shuttered.

Whereas in a democracy the media is considered central to keeping the government honest, in Turkey, investigative journalism has becomeoutlawed.

Two-thirds of Turks in a recent survey revealed that they perceive political parties to be corrupt. Turkey lacks an entity that monitors the financing of parties, which are required to submit their financial tables to the Constitutional Court, an institution ill-equipped to handle audits.

Additionally, according to the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation, Turkey does not have a specific regulatory process to eliminate possible conflicts of interest for parliamentarians who transition to the private sector after their terms are complete.

Several of Erdogans ministers (Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan, Interior Minister Muammer Guler, and Environment Minister Erdogan Bayraktar) resigned after their sons were arrested on allegations of bribery. Following their resignation, Erdoganfired thousandsof police officers, prosecutors and judges, and accused the Gulen movement of a coup attempt.

The arrest and indictment in US courts of Iranian-Turkish gold trader Reza Zarrab poses a significant threat to Erdogans authority, as top AK officials are wrapped up in the indictmentincluding some of Erdogans family members. Pro-government media quickly leveled accusations against the American prosecutor and judge involved in the case of being instruments of the Gulen movement.

The ramifications of the wide-spread political corruption also have major adverse impacts on Turkeys relations with foreign governments whichinteract with Ankara out of necessity rather than by free choice,particularly the EU.

According to the 2013 Global Corruption Barometer, 13% of householdsreportedhaving to pay a bribe after coming into contact with the judiciary. The flaws of the Turkish judiciary have undermined the acceptance of the ruling by all segments of Turkish society and tainted it with allegations of political score-settling, according to one report.

An even-handed judiciary is necessary to have a healthy and sustainable democracy. But when it becomes corrupted, as it has in Turkey, there is a ripple effect that occurs, since all government officialsfeel that they can continue to act in such a manner with impunity.

According to the EU Progress Report2016, extensive legal protection is given to counter-terrorism personnel and the military and intelligence services continue to lack sufficient accountability in Parliament. The same report states, Access to audit reports by the Turkish Court of Accounts on the security, defense and intelligence agencies remains restricted.

Erdogan has replaced hundreds of generals, which led to a reduction in strategic planning and overall quality of military effectiveness. His purge of the military high brass three years ago on charges of conspiring to topple the government has eroded Turkeys position in NATO.

Similarly, the purge of the top echelon of the military following the July 2016 coup further weakened military preparedness, which raises serious questions about Turkeys military prowess and its effectiveness as a member of NATO.

Turkey defies the NATOcharterthat requires its members to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilization of their peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. By not adhering to these principles, Turkey risks being potentially expelled, especially now that Erdogan appears to be increasingly gravitating toward Moscow.

The EU Progress Report of 2016 also notes: Participation by civil society in the budgetary process is poorand independent civil society organizations are rarely involved in law- and policy-making processes.

Corruption creates fear in societyindividuals who might otherwise wish to expose acts of corruption are now afraid to be implicated. According to Transparency Internationals OyaOzarslan, Today you cant offer people neither a good nor a bad example because corruption trials have become impossible in Turkey. This in turn legitimates the notion that [the corrupt] get away with it anyway.

The AK Partypledged[to wage a] most intensive struggle [against corruption], and fully ensure transparency and accountability prevail in every area of public life [to prevent] the pollution of politics, but then Erdogan himself rejected any practical measures to tackle corruption, fearing damaging exposure.

Sadly, much of what Erdogan aspired tocould have been realized had he continued the reforms he initiated, and had he brought Turkey to the international status he desired without resorting to authoritarianism.

After 15 years in power, Erdogan isa classic example of how power corrupts. It is time for the public and the opposition parties to demand that he leave the political scene and allow the formation of a democratically elected government.Otherwise, Turkey will forfeit its huge potential of becoming a significant player on the international stage.

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center forGlobal Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation andMiddle Eastern studies.

Go here to read the rest:
Erdogan: A Classic Case of How Power Corrupts - Algemeiner